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The eight Rowan students who had their visas revoked have been reinstated. - Photo via Adobe Stock
Editor’s note: Due to the sensitivity of this topic, certain sources have been kept anonymous to protect their identity and the identities of other international students.
It was announced on April 25 that thousands of I-20 visas would be restored throughout the country, including eight international students at Rowan University who have now been reinstated. The university announced that statuses were revoked on April 9.
“We are extremely happy to share that all eight international students from Rowan have had their SEVIS records returned to active status,” said Shannon Hurley, senior international student and scholar advisor.
This was the first time a group of students had their statuses revoked. This may happen to one student per year, but typically this does not happen and has not happened at Rowan. This information was confirmed by an anonymous source.
The university received no official notice of the revocation or reinstatement of the student’s status. They found out through checking the online database SEVIS, which is used to keep track of and house information about international students through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This database shows the status of a student’s F-1 visa, which allows them to study in the United States, and their I-20 form, which proves they are enrolled in an educational program. The student is notified by email from the U.S. Embassy, and it is sent to the email that was used when the student applied for their study visas in the first place.
In this phase of revocations, students were flagged by A.I. in the SEVIS database if their name was at all mentioned in court documents and legal infractions, according to an article from Politico. This includes minor and dismissed charges, such as traffic violations or public disturbances. For the safety of students at Rowan, it was not made clear exactly what flagged them in the system.
The first phase saw the “Catch and Revoke” initiative, which was an A.I. assisted program that reviewed the social media accounts of student visa holders for signs of support after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, according to an article from Axios. International students were advised by the International Center at Rowan to take precautionary measures and be mindful of their social media use.
An international student at Rowan who wished to stay anonymous to protect their identity explained that they cleansed their social media of any connection to pro-Palestine groups and posts, having to unfollow certain accounts that showed open support to Palestine. Additionally, they shared that social media is contributing to negative stereotypes about immigrants.
“It’s just creating more aids against any kind of people who are different,” they said.
Zobia Bokhari, the president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), shared concern about the current political climate and status of international students.
“I do think the revocations are concerning given the current political climate, and I think across the country many of the revocations we’ve seen are politically motivated and the result of the Trump administration deliberately targeting those who oppose the current genocide the Israeli government is waging against Gazans. I also want to reiterate SJP’s mission of standing in solidarity with all marginalized groups, and we oppose the revocation of eight student visas at Rowan. We empathize with the international student community at this time and are always here to offer support and solidarity,” said Bokhari.
Another international student, who chose to remain anonymous, was acquainted with one of the eight students who had their visas revoked. This student said that the reason they were flagged in the system was because they unintentionally pulled a fire alarm in a residence hall, unaware of its purpose or consequences. They fulfilled community service hours, but their record remained in the system.
The international student said that they believe other international students will be more cautious moving forward. They also explained this is one more thing to weigh on their minds in addition to finals, being away from their families, and taking care of themselves.
“We have a lot of stuff in our basket, and with one more big, steel ball in our basket, that basket is just going to pop,” they said.
They expressed worry, fear, and uncertainty of what is to come as Trump’s presidency continues.
“I don’t think I feel a bit safe enough over here. Even if my visa got revoked, then I should know for what reason because that’s my right. I should know what I did and what was wrong that I did, because I [may not have known] I have done anything wrong,” they said.
Joe Cardona, the vice president for university relations, shared that Rowan will continue to support and protect international students.
“We deeply empathize with their challenges and remain steadfast in our commitment to providing them meaningful support. Rowan University values the contributions to and perspectives of international students in our community. We plan to ensure their academic journey remains as uninterrupted as possible,” said Cardona.
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